Second Chances
by Wolfnight2012
Summary: Billy was dead, only a numb Dr. Horrible remains. Stuck in a rut of silent dispair, unable to even feel the basic levels of grief. Penny shouldn't be ruled out just yet, but might it be impossible for even Penny to fix this broken villain?
1. Chapter 1

**_*Disclaimer: I do not own Dr. Horrible's sing along blog or any of it's characters. I did, however, make up this story as I am a fan of the mini-movie*_**

**Prologue**

She never knew it was him, not even in her last seconds of life. She looked up at him, with concern in her eyes and called him Billy. She asked if he was alright, even though she was the one who was injured. Panic had flooded heart but he'd been unable to move. The light had left her eyes a few seconds later. He had hardly noticed the cold, numbing sensation filling his chest slowly. He picked her up and slowly carried her to the gurney. He placed her down gently and watched them wheel her away. By the time he noticed the numbness it had spread down his arms to his fingers and down his legs to his toes. He was numb and couldn't feel a thing.

**Chapter One**

Dr. Horrible sat through another one of Bad Horse's meetings. He'd risen up in the ranks quickly; he was now second only to Bad Horse himself. Bad Horse had made Dr. Horrible his right hoof more than a month ago. No one really resented him for it, Dr. Horrible just did what he had to, and he performed the crimes Bad Horse asked him to and never asked for or expected anything in return. Bad Horse didn't worry either as Dr. Horrible didn't show any interest in taking his position as the baddest of the bad. He'd only taken the rank of Bad Horse's right hoof because Bad Horse told him too. Bad Horse had been repeating something about expanding their efforts and crimes, something about worldwide-something. He was listening, but nothing really sunk in. He lived in the present, not the past and not the future. Only things that would be taking place immediately, such as tomorrow's list of crimes, affected him. He didn't listen to anyone else's crimes or boasts.

Moist nervously looked at his shoes as Dr. Horrible walked into the room. He was no longer Billy, not even at home. He was always dressed as, and addressed as Dr. Horrible. He was no longer Moist's friend. He now only viewed Moist as his henchman. Moist tagged along during raids, robberies, and over all crimes. He did Dr. Horrible's dry cleaning, cleaning, cooking, and washing. He even did his laundry, Wednesdays and Saturdays, every Wednesday and Saturday and only on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Everything, they hardly even talked. Dr. Horrible wasn't the same anymore; his eyes were distant, and emotionless. Not cold, as even cold would be an emotion. They were just, emotionless, numb, empty, Billy wasn't there anymore, only Dr. Horrible. Dr. Horrible walked in and threw a big stack of papers at Moist. Not in a mean way, more like one throws a coat on a sofa. You don't have feelings toward the sofa; Dr. Horrible had no feels toward anyone, not even Moist. Every ten pages were tied together; it was a stack of five packets. "Those are our next targets, Bad Horse gave us a list of crimes to commit, and he wants to make sure the city knows its place. He also feels like adding diamond studs to his gold chain" he said. Moist nodded, though he knew Dr. Horrible wasn't watching him. They'd gotten Bad Horse the gold to make that gold chain, it wasn't like a rapper's necklace, the chain was used for other purposes... They'd also gotten him the small diamonds he wanted for his golden horse shoes. Bad Horse liked people to know of his power before they got squashed. "Our first job is tomorrow at ten, the bank." He said as he walked into his lab and shut the door behind him. Moist barely caught the last word.

Dr. Horrible was never the same; he sang one last song as he carried Penny's body to the gurney. He'd continued the tune of his success throughout his initiation party, which was thrown in honor of his entry in the Evil League of Evil. He'd carried it out as he got into his new villain coat and as he entered Bad Horse's room. He canceled his blog, took all his white lab coats and pictures and threw them in a closet, locking the door. He never sang again.

Bad Horse had once sent them on a job around the world, about four months ago. The name Dr. Horrible became known worldwide. They'd had to get silver, gold, bronze, diamonds, rubies, sapphires and other gem stones from the best vaults around the world. He had wanted to test them, their abilities and their loyalty. Though Moist, kinda felt Bad Horse actually needed the money for one of the plans he was forming, he didn't give it much thought though. He'd had tagged along in each heist, as always. Bad Horse had named him Dr. Horrible's henchman, as in permanent henchman. As long as the Evil League of Evil was under Bad Horse's rule Dr. Horrible couldn't get another henchman. Moist didn't want to think about it, but couldn't help but wonder if he'd still be his henchman if it weren't for Bad Horse.

Moist sighed and put on his gloves so as to not get the papers wet. He tried to wear gloves often; Dr. Horrible didn't shake off dampened papers nearly as easily as Billy had. He would go over each job so he could be ready for them, Dr. Horrible sure as hell wouldn't be telling him anything. He thought back to what had been going on in the news. Right now Dr. Horrible was one of the most well-known villains, as well as one of the most feared. Bad Horse was still the most feared globally, but Dr. Horrible had a fan club...and groupies! Dr. Horrible was always in the news; he was named Worst Villain Ever. He didn't know, though or he didn't care. Dr. Horrible hadn't even listened to Moist when he tried to tell him that Captain Hammer was in therapy. Moist had hidden the paper with the article about Penny. Now he hoped he hadn't. Maybe seeing "Country Mourns What's-her-name" on the paper would have made Dr. Horrible feel something, anything. Maybe then he wouldn't act like this, maybe then they'd still be friends.

***Sorry for the short chapters, they'll most likely get longer the further into the story I get. =)***

**(Reviews and Comments wanted and Appreciated =3 )**


	2. Chapter 2

_***Disclaimer: I do not own Dr. Horrible's sing along blog or any of it's characters. I did, however, make up this story as I am a fan of the mini-movie***_

**Chapter Two**

"Hey Billy, what are you doing here? Come on, come with me" said the sweet and gentle voice of Penny as she offered Billy her hand. He smiled shyly, as always, but took her hand and followed her. "Look, a bed in every room. You have any idea how many homeless now have a home?" she asked. She turned to look at him with her big, innocent eyes and melted his heart. "And it's all thanks to you" she said turning away from him. Her hand slowly slid from his as she walked toward Captain Hammer, who materialized out of the shadows. She tucked herself between his muscled arms and gave him a hug, her head resting on his chest. Captain Hammer locked eyes with Billy and gave him a slow mocking smile. Rage filled Billy, his hands began to shake. No. He trembled, "No!" he shouted, though it seemed they could no longer hear him. "NO!" he screamed, Penny was dead because of him! Wait, Penny… was dead?

Dr. Horrible woke with a start, sitting up in bed. He was drenched in sweat, and his pulse was racing. He left no panic, however, no anger, resentment or grief. He remembered his dream, he remembered Penny, and he just couldn't feel anything. He was still numb, he literally didn't remember how it felt like . . . to feel. Even the emotions in the dream faded away quickly after waking. Only the memory remained a memory of a girl. He fell back down on his mattress and closed his eyes. He dreamed every night, but only once. Every night he went to sleep, he'd have a dream about Penny in which he could feel as he could before her death, he didn't realize it was a dream until he woke up in a cold sweat. As soon as he opened his eyes he felt numb again, he couldn't feel a thing. He then closed his eyes again and slept peacefully the rest of the night.

The heists went on without a hitch, it was quick and easy. He went on his own heist on Saturday, just to test out his new ray. Moist carried the sacks of money, he'd remembered his gloves, and the bags of money didn't slip as much as they would have. Like with most small heists, no one dared challenge Dr. Horrible, making it very easy to get away.

Dr. Horrible made his escape quickly, Moist ran after him and stumbled trying to keep up and keep the sacks of money. They made it to the ELE headquarters with all the money intact and in the sacks. Dr. Horrible handed the sacks of money to Bad Horse while Moist held back by the door, head low and eyes downcast. He'd gotten to be very timid ever since Dr. Horrible became so distant. Bad Horse accepted the money gladly. Dr. Horrible swiveled in his chair as Bad Horse gave him the okay for a whole week of crimes. As in Dr. Horrible could decide what heist to pull, what new weapon to pull it with, and when to pull it, no "meddling" from the ELE. Moist tried to make himself as small as possible, though no one was paying attention to him. Dr. Horrible glanced at Bad Horse, his eyes looking almost bored. Moist knew the truth; in the first weeks numb Dr. Horrible just looked like a sad Billy. Moist had thought his friend was depressed, and had tried his best to cheer him up. Nothing worked, however, and Dr. Horrible still kept up with the meetings, the schemes, the plotting, and the crimes. He wasn't acting very depressed-like, Dr. Horrible fixed that though. After a couple of weeks he just looked bored, and uninterested, which he was. Moist jerked back into attention as Bad Horse mentioned that, though the heists were his own, he still had to give the ELE a cut of the earning. For his loyal services, Dr. Horrible only had to cough up forty percent of whatever he got. Once again, Moist wondered what plan Bad Horse was concocting and why it required so much cash. Dr. Horrible nodded and stood up from his chair, Moist straightened up, it was almost time to go. The super villain nodded once more to his superior and then turned on his heel, gracefully, and walked out of the room, right past Moist. Moist gave a small, insecure smile and then turned and fled the meeting, dashing after Dr. Horrible. He quickened his speed until he walked right beside the Doctor; they exited the building side by side, Moist sinking into himself a bit, Dr. Horrible walking straight and full of confidence, his lab coat waving behind him slightly, almost like a cape. He still hadn't uttered a single word.

***Sorry for the short chapters, again, they'll most likely get longer the further into the story I get. I'm just 'picking up speed.' =)***

**(Reviews and Comments wanted and Appreciated =3 )**


	3. Chapter 3

******_*Disclaimer: I do not own Dr. Horrible's sing along blog or any of it's characters. I did, however, make up this story as I am a fan of the mini-movie*_**

**Chapter Three**

The poor girl had been a mess, her injuries had been bad, and... And she had been technically dead. Dr. Horrible had delicately taken out the shards, which had come from_ his_ weapon, her body, but she'd already been dead when he placed her on the gurney. They'd placed her in the ambulance and began to work on her. One paramedic tried to patch up the two wounds as best he could; the other tried to restart her heart. The ambulance raced to the hospital, sirens blaring. Just when they'd been about to call the time of death her heart restarted. It began to pump blood once more, which meant she began to lose more blood through her wound. The patch was pretty good, but the wound was worse. The girl was losing a lot of blood, and fading fast, even though they'd just revived her. The two paramedics were doing the best they could, but the girl needed emergency surgery. They practically leaped out of the ambulance when it stopped and quickly wheeled her into the ER. The doctor had already been informed of the situation and so the girl was quickly admitted into surgery. They patched up the wounds with little problem. The girl was placed up with the other patients in critical condition. She was plugged up to two , one connected to a blood bag, the other to a bag of serum to keep her strong and fighting, she was still in bad shape and everyone feared they could still lose her. They had no idea who she was, most of the nurses didn't even know how the girl had gotten hurt. Though she was given great care, and was in 24 hour intensive care, less than two days after her surgery the girl went into a coma. Her heart rate slowed to a near human-hibernation state, it could pretty much be considered a world record. The less her heart pumped, the less the body worked. She remained in critical condition for over two months, constantly giving the nurses scares. The blood bag wasn't taken away for one month. All through this she remained in the deep coma. The doctors said her body had probably gone into a coma to help her heal. Her body wasn't working, struggling or wasting any energy, it was only focusing on healing her wounds. Even then, she was still very weak, very pale, and looked quiet sickly. Even knowing they had given it their all, their best, most of the hospital's workers couldn't believe the girl had pulled through. People regularly didn't walk away from her type of injuries. She barely moved in all her time in critical condition. She wasn't taken out of the third floor, where those in critical condition stayed, for over a year. Though still in a coma, she was removed from intensive care after one year and three months. Everyone remained worried for her, but she seemed to be getting stronger, she no longer needed the blood bag, and they'd no longer had any scares, which was why she needed the blood bag for so long. She was still plugged up to an I.V however and remained in the deep coma. Her stitches were soon removed after her transfer from the third floor, and the girl's incredible white cells went to work on that as well. Soon you couldn't notice her faint pale scars unless you really looked. The girl now moved slightly, her fingers and toes twitched and her head rolled ever so slightly. This brightened everyone up; it showed she was regaining her strength. She was still in a coma, however, and her brain hardly active. The fact that her strength was returning helped distract everyone that the girl was just on this side from being a vegetable. After nearly two years in a coma, the girl began to show signs up waking up. Her limbs moved and small moans escaped her throat. Her room was cramped with nurses, whom had no idea what to do. An intern looked at the girl, and suggested they leave her alone and just keep her in observation. She would come to when she was ready; they shouldn't push her beyond her limits.

The next day her eye lids fluttered, she slowly opened her eyes; they rolled around glancing about the apartment in an unfocused manner. She felt really weak, and cold hardly move. Nurses and a doctor came in and fussed over her for a long while. She was plugged up to an I.V and laying in a small hospital bed in a white hospital room. Her head felt faint and disconnected to her shoulders, it rolled to the side as she tried to keep track of the people who came in and out of her room. She couldn't keep up with the conversations because of her fuzzy brain. She sighed and stopped trying; she just let them do whatever it was they were doing. Sometimes they'd ask her a few questions, genuine concern in their voices and eyes. She tried to smile back the best she could, she didn't want them to worry. They helped her sit up and told her that she'd been very hurt, but they'd been able to patch her up just fine. They also mentioned something about a coma before they left. She wondered how long the coma had lasted. The people fussed over her for three days, after that she only got one nurse who came to see her a few times a day. They got her to eat solid foods and drink bottled water pretty quickly. She was complimented on her returning skin pigmentation, and then again when she stopped looking so sickly. "Oh how healthy you're looking today" she was told by the nurse. She was able to sit up by herself, with some difficultly mine you, after being away for five days. Her mind had cleared slightly and she could remember various things. She remembered her horrible childhood and could swear she'd once sung about it at a Laundromat. She had no one and lived by herself. She remembered what she cared and was passionate about. She knew that she volunteered in many places, including the soup kitchen. She…. She'd gotten a building for the homeless… no…er…yes. Yes she had… she'd, she'd collected signatures. She went to the Laundromat every Wednesday and Saturday. Her name was Penny.

Her skin regained a healthy glow after a little over a week of waking up. She kept getting stronger every day. It was no surprise she was given the okay to leave only two months after coming out of her coma. She was given the few belongings she'd had with her when she'd been admitted into the hospital. She walked out of the hospital in a daze; she had no idea why she'd been there. Of course she knew she'd been injured, but she had no idea how, when, where, or how bad. She stopped at the head nurse's desk and politely asked why she'd been admitted. The nurse told her she'd been injured. Penny had asked how she'd been injured and the nurse had shrugged. Figuring she would not get anything else from the hospital staff she turned around to leave. As she walked out the doors the nurse had called out to her saying "Good bye Page." Penny didn't correct her; she knew the nurse meant no harm. It wasn't her fault Penny seemed to be forgettable. She left the hospital and walked straight home, a small apartment, her landlord had hardly noticed she'd been gone. She was asked for the rent as soon as she returned.

**(Reviews and Comments wanted and Appreciated =3 )**


	4. Chapter 4

******_*Disclaimer: I do not own Dr. Horrible's sing along blog or any of it's characters. I did, however, make up this story as I am a fan of the mini-movie*_**

**Chapter Four**

Penny quickly returned to her old routine. She was on a few pain medications and was told to take it easy, but it wasn't like she did anything extreme in her day. She continued to volunteer, her homeless friends had noticed her absence, but they had no idea why she'd been gone. It seemed either no one had noticed she was at the hospital, or that she was gone at all. She continued to do her laundry on Wednesday and Saturday, not just because she liked to do it on those days, but also because she hoped sticking to her routine would help jog her memory. She didn't think she had amnesia, but she couldn't remember many things. It wasn't serious, her background, the basics, where still there. She knew who she was, just not all the building blocks that made her who she was. The memories, the people, the events in her not so distant past were slowly coming back to her so she wasn't too worried. The only thing was that she, not certain of, but pretty close to it. She felt something was missing every time she went to the Laundromat. She wasn't sure what, but often caught herself looking around, at other people, at the clock, at the door, just waiting. She looked up whenever anyone near her spoke, thinking it was addressed to her by _him_. One time she brought two frozen yogurts and brought them to the Laundromat with her. Halfway through her clothes' washing she realized she was once again waiting for someone, but she still had no idea who. Other things also returned to her foggy mind, Captain Hammer for one. She didn't remember him all that fondly, he'd done something… and something bad had happened. The confusing part was most of her memories of him were good, she'd liked him. Only one memory, with many missing pieces, cast him in a bad light. He'd been speaking bad about the homeless, and had said something bad and embarrassing involving her. She hadn't heard of Captain Hammer in a while. In fact the world seemed to be ruled by villains now. There was one guy, some Doctor, who was always on the news. She didn't understand why the news seemed to be giving him publicity, instead of making the world aware of what that terrible man was doing.

Billy took another spoonful of frozen yogurt into his mouth. Penny was sitting cross legged on the drier machine beside his. She had her own cup of frozen yogurt in her hand, and a spoon in the other, though her yogurt had been left alone for a while now as she told Billy of her work at the soup kitchen. She seemed so happy; her eyes sparkled a bit when she spoke of the good in the world. Billy smiled and nodded, Penny was always thinking of others, Always. She smiled back at him and seemed to remember her yogurt, she scooped up a spoonful. It had become ritual for them, one of them would bring the frozen yogurts on Laundromat Day and they'd talk as their clothes washed and dried. "Anyways, how are things going along with you?" she asked, as she slid the spoonful of yogurt into her mouth. Billy opened his mouth to speak but was stopped by the shimmering. He looked into Penny's wide and encouraging eyes. She smiled, waiting patiently for him to continue. He tried to, but…. she was fading away, her body was shimmering, like a billion pieces of glitter and slowly vanishing, he could see the opposite wall's window through her. His mouth fell open, it moved but no sound came out. He could do nothing; she was slowly escaping his reach. Penny's gaze turned sad as she noticed Billy's distress. She reached toward him with her left hand and cupped his cheek. He could feel her skin's warmth. "No, it's okay Billy" she said softly, trying to make him feel better. "It's okay, I don't blame you" she said. Billy's eyes hardened with anger, toward himself; of course she wouldn't blame him for anything, even though it was all his fault. Nothing tortured him more. That's just who she was, didn't she know? It was his fault she was dead!

Dr. Horrible woke with a start, sitting up quickly on his bed, drenched with sweat. Another dream, another memory, and yet, still no feeling, no emotion. It was already fading.

_***More coming soon, Sorry for all the short chapters, I'm busy with homework right now. =)***_

**(Reviews and Comments wanted and Appreciated =3 )**


	5. Chapter 5

******_*Disclaimer: I do not own Dr. Horrible's sing along blog or any of it's characters. I did, however, make up this story as I am a fan of the mini-movie*_**

**Chapter Five**

Dr. Horrible closed his eyes slowly and pinched the bridge of his nose. Moist was gone on business; the Henchmen's Union had called a meeting. As Bad Horse only allowed professional henchmen help in the Evil League of Evil all its members had been left henchmanless. Moist had left late on Tuesday evening, it was now Saturday morning. Dr. Horrible had laundry; Moist did his laundry, every Wednesday and Saturday. Moist wouldn't be returning until tomorrow and Dr. Horrible's laundry couldn't wait until Wednesday. He slumped deeper into his big red chair, thinking. He'd have to do the laundry today, it just couldn't wait until Wednesday and Moist couldn't do it Sunday Dr. Horrible just… it just couldn't happen any day other than Wednesday and Saturday. He groaned and pushed himself up from his chair, he couldn't keep putting it off, if he was going to do his laundry, he'd have to go now. He changed into his street clothes, he rarely used them as Moist took care of all his chores for him, and the ELE wouldn't like it if he went out in public in his lab coat and goggles. He gathered all his dirty laundry and walked out the door in denim jeans and a white T-shirt having thrown on the first items of clothing he found.

Dr. Horrible round the corner to the Laundromat and stopped cold, stepping out of the Laundromat was a fair skinned, red haired girl. Dr. Horrible's muscles seized and he froze in place, he could practically feel the thick coat of ice surrounding his soul and heart crack as his heart began to race. This was an unknown feeling, Dr. Horrible never felt panicked, or fearful. The girl walked away, he was unable to move until she was out of sight, and he then blinked and walked into the Laundromat though some deep and very well suppressed instincts had been screaming at him to run after the girl. Because they were so well suppressed Dr. Horrible didn't even feel the slightest need to do as the silent feeling shouted. Why? Dr. Horrible had asked, why? Because it might be _that_ girl? Who cares if it was? It wasn't, _that _girl was dead, this girl just had the same red hair and light colored skin that _many _girls had. He slipped his quarters into the slot and stepped back. Everyone else in the Laundromat kept their distance, they didn't like the look in his eyes, the way he held himself, which was fine with him.

Dr. Horrible sat in his big red chair looking at Moist while the henchman looked at his shoes. He shuffled his feet on the floor, "Sorry the meeting took so long, Dr. Horrible, and with every member there it proved to be a lot of ground to cover." Moist said. Dr. Horrible looked at him through half closed eyes and Moist struggled not to not to squirm some more, the Doc, er Dr. Horrible would just tell him to stop. "While you were away _I _had to do the laundry." Dr. Horrible said in an exasperated voice. "Sorry" Moist said looking anywhere in the room but directly at Dr. Horrible. He'd had to go to the Laundromat! Oh, was he mad? He didn't seem more cold and distant than usual. "I didn't enjoy having to go out and mingle in jeans and a T-shirt." Dr. Horrible said, mentioning the items of clothes as one would dirty potato sacks. Moist shrunk himself to a smaller size; he knew Dr. Horrible didn't like to look like anyone other than Dr. Horrible, ever, and unless he was participating in a crime, he didn't like to "mingle." "Sorry," Moist repeated, Dr. Horrible pinched the bridge of his nose, squeezed his eyes shut and waved his henchman way. Moist retreated gratefully; Dr. Horrible didn't seem different at all.

"Why so sad Billy?" Penny asked, concern evident in her emerald green eyes. Billy's head shot up from where it had been resting in his palms. He spooked, nearly falling off the bed as he struggled up from his slouched sitting position. "Penny? What are you doing here?" he asked, grabbing at his bed's covers, though he was decent. Penny tilted her head as if she couldn't figure out what had him so worked up. Billy was still pondering over how she found out where he lived when she sat on his bed's edge and placed her hand over his. He calmed almost immediately, his muscles turning to jelly and his heart melting as it always did with her. "Why are you so worked up?" she asked, cupping his chin and tilting it up so they were eye to eye. "I'm not sad and I'm not worked up. . . I'm just...upset" He said. Penny giggled, her eyes sparkling with life as a crystal clear lake would sparkle with sunlight. The corner of Billy's mouth twitched up in a half smile, he couldn't feel all that bad with Penny here. "Isn't it the same thing?" Penny asked. "Well yes, I mean no. I'm not sad. I'm just… It felt weird seeing you today." Billy said. He stopped talking; wait… why would seeing Penny be anything more than a crazy random happenstance? Waaait, when did he start saying that again? He blinked continuously, and then looked at Penny, who smiled at him, laughter in her eyes. He must be looking very weird to her right now. She squeezed his hand gently, "It's okay Billy" she said, all of a sudden sounding very serious. Billy looked at her and she spoke again. "Don't suppress your feelings Billy, it's not good for you. It's not You. You're good Billy, and I don't like who you're becoming" she said, looking very sad. "Penny" Billy murmured, his room going dark, he could no longer see Penny. "If I could control it, I would" he murmured. As her touch faded away as well his heart beat began to rise.

Dr. Horrible opened his eyes, sitting up in his bed. His heart beat slowed. 'Yes' he thought, 'If you could control it, I bet you could. . . . But I'm in control now…Billy.' he thought; still in a half sleep daze.

**(Reviews and Comments wanted and Appreciated =3 )**


	6. Chapter 6

**********_*Disclaimer: I do not own Dr. Horrible's sing along blog or any of it's characters. I did, however, make up this story as I am a fan of the mini-movie*_**

**Chapter Six**

'That jerk!' Penny thought, fuming with rage. She looked as mad as she was capable of, which meant she looked like a frustrated kitten. She narrowed her eyes, she remembered Captain Hammer, and everything about him… well she thought it was everything… it seemed like everything… She shook her head, it was enough. She'd gone out with him, he'd help her secure the building for the homeless, but then he'd turned out to be an ignorant blockhead. He'd spoken of their… private affairs, and then talked bad about her homeless friends. Penny laid her finger tips on the side of her head, she sighed, and she could swear he'd sung about it. He'd compared them to dogs…. He'd called them 'scary alcoholic bums', and through it all the conceited, sorry excuse for a man and bragged about himself. Why had she gone out with him? She had no idea, she just remembered going out with him. Where was he now? Again, she had no idea, and didn't care either. They must have broken up; she didn't think he was so low as to not visit her while she was hospitalized. Surely if they were still together he would have gone to get her on her release date.

There was a small TV hanging from the corner of a wall in the first floor of the Caring Hands Homeless Shelter, Penny was folding clothes with a homeless woman, Amy, the TV was on and the volume was up. Penny smiled at Amy, the shelter provided job training, and this woman was learning the best ways to clean, fast and efficient. The shelter hoped that providing a bed was only the first step in getting its occupants off the streets and into jobs. _"And so Dr. Horrible gets away with yet another load of bank user's saving."_ Penny lifted her head and looked at the TV, "Why don't they stop that man?" Penny said. _"The LAPD's efforts to track the super villain ended in a dead end." _ Penny sighed, "I guess that answers that question" she said. "The man is a criminal master mind, a genius" Amy said. Penny looked at her with surprise. She placed her hands on her hips, "See, that's why the man is winning, people aren't appalled by what he's doing, they all but glorify him in the news… I'm sure it does his ego wonders when they call him a super villain, instead of a no good criminal. He's nothing but a bully, this city should stand up to him" she said. Amy shrugged and went back to folding laundry, "The LAPD has failed to catch him each time, what can you do?" she said rhetorically. "Stop building him fan clubs, for one" Penny offered. "He only has one fan club…" Amy chirped. "Well then… we get rid of its members…" Penny said.

"Thank you" a man, Jonny, said as Penny poured soup into his bowl. He grabbed a piece of bread and went to sit down. Penny was volunteering at the Soup Kitchen, she never missed a day. Her talk with Amy the other day still haunted her thoughts, 'What could she do?' "What do you know of Captain Hammer?" she asked to the next person in line. "Hmm?" the woman said. "Captain Hammer, the uh 'super hero'" Penny said. "Oh, your sweetheart? What about him?" she asked, grabbing a piece of bread. "… Mm, where is he?" Penny asked, last she remembered, Captain Hammer had always been able to stop the Doctor. "I read he went into therapy, something about feeling pain for the first time ever, the LAPD kept pressuring him to stop Dr. Horrible, and later to 'man up'. One day he just disappeared, I guess he figured it was no longer his problem" she said, walking away with her food. "Well, thanks!" Penny called after her. "I heard his still in therapy, and that he left just to get away from the Police department" the next in line, Lilly, said. Penny nodded absentmindedly and served her some soup.

So Captain Hammer had left the city Penny thought, braining storming over the criminal problem. She spread out the newspapers and magazines she'd collected from around those months. What had she found out? She regrouped her thoughts.

1. Captain Hammer had gone to therapy for a long time.

2. He'd got to therapy after having a final standoff with the Doctor.

3. He was in therapy (partly) because he'd felt pain for the first time.

4. He'd left the city a few months ago.

5. While he was around every one of the Doctor's schemes was thwarted.

6. He was a jerk.

7. They'd dated.

8. And lastly, after Captain Hammer's defeat the Doctor became a worldwide 'super' villain, and got a fan club. The Doctor was never again stopped.

None of this helped her figure out how to be able to stop the criminal once again. She wrote a few side notes, such as 'no idea what were the other reasons he went into therapy'. She tapped her chin with her pen, 'perhaps because he was defeated for the first time by lab coat guy?' She gazed at her notes for a few times, then under lined her last side note and placed two question marks beside it, she'd have to ask around for that, an there were a lot of people she could ask, all the homeless and volunteers for one. Maybe she could even try and talk to the people she saw in the Laundromat. She sighed and put her pen down; it was a start but… Penny paced around the room, what could she do? She meant… what could she really do? Even if she got all the information she needed, it wouldn't help her figure out how to get the young man into prison. She volunteered in the Soup Kitchen, in the Caring Hands homeless Shelter, and others, what did she know about this kind of stuff? 'No, Penny, positive thoughts, you can do this' she gave herself a small pep talk. Unless she could get Captain Hammer to come back they were on their own. The LAPD wasn't enough…. or maybe they just weren't trying enough. Penny paced back to her table and placed her hands on its smooth surface, she'd go talk to them tomorrow, she'd start a petition, she'd find a way to end the Doctor's fan club, and he'd end up behind bars. He was taking a lot of people's money, and a lot of gems and historical items. He'd stolen the Mona Lisa, she'd read about his around about the world crimes, and a pricey diamond. Penny pushed off the desk and walked into the living room, she didn't think the Doctor worked alone. There were other villains, though none as popular as the lab coat man himself, Bad Horse was definitely feared. What if they all worked together? Like some secret... villain corporation, a club where they all got together and decided to commit crimes. She gasped, and walked away from her living room and into the kitchen, if they caught the lab coat man they could kill two birds with one stone! She slowed in her pacing, supposing she was correct, they could capture the infamous villain and have him reveal the locations of all those other villains, they might be able to put Bad Horse himself in jail! Giddy with her realizations and presumptions, Penny went to bed.

**_My computer is very messed up, I may not be able to upload anything, at least not until it's fixed. Sorry. =/_**

**(Reviews and Comments wanted and Appreciated =3 )**


	7. Chapter 7

**************_*Disclaimer: I do not own Dr. Horrible's sing along blog or any of it's characters. I did, however, make up this story as I am a fan of the mini-movie*_**

**Chapter Seven**

"Okay, everyone just- er… everyone just stay down and no one will get hurt" Moist said, holding the empty sacks that should be full very soon. He was wearing white gloves to be able to grip the bags better. Dr. Horrible was brandishing his weapon, a small ray gun without a handle; it was installed into a large metal cuff on his wrist. Everyone was cowering in the corners, they were in a store, and not just any store, Wal-Mart. Dr. Horrible had asked for all the money, dollar bills and change were to be put in different bags. Moist had no clue why Bad Horse wanted Dr. Horrible to rob a store… what was he trying to prove? Shaking his head clear of his meddling thoughts Moist stepped up to receive the money. "And make sure every last dime is in the bags," Dr. Horrible said, "I'll know" he added. The clerk nodded, shaking, and began to place the money in the bags. Dr. Horrible surveyed the room, though Moist was sure it was only habit, they both knew no one would try anything, while Moist struggled to hold all the bags. He tied knots around the full ones and waited for the others to be filled as well. The silence felt quiet…sorta... it felt awkward. Dr. Horrible didn't say anything, he didn't have a catch phrase, and he didn't say a witty comment, nothing. He just stood there, causing fear in their victims.

The bags filled Moist headed for the door; Dr. Horrible behind him, pointing his weapon randomly at the store's inhabitants. The door slid open and Moist turned to look at Dr. Horrible, waiting for the signal to 'get going'. Satisfied no one was following them; Dr. Horrible turned around, took one look outside the doorway, and froze. There, walking casually across the street was a thin, redhead girl. 'What would she be doing here?' came the unbidden thought. Dr. Horrible narrowed his eyes, 'What would who be doing here?' he taunted. The voice stayed silent this time, Dr. Horrible was confused, the voice had appeared quiet recently, and it had made its first appearance at the Laundromat. Dr. Horrible just wanted it gone, he was sure it was the reason he couldn't move, the reason there was something breaking inside him, the reason he could practically feel, something he hadn't done in such a long time he couldn't be certain it was really 'feel' or something else. He still couldn't move, and was still staring at the girl his subconscious swore was important. It was just some girl; he couldn't understand his body's reaction. Then the girl turned around. The sun splashed on her billowing hair, making its radiance shine like fire, her wide, innocent eyes gleamed like green emeralds, and her skin looked so fair… The image was just enhanced when she smiled and waved slightly to someone Dr. Horrible couldn't see because they stood a few feet before Wal-Mart's automatic door. Her head tilted to the side ever so slightly and her eyes warmed as she waved. She looked so fragile, and delicate, he wanted to march right toward her and protect her. Dr. Horrible's eyes widened, no matter what was wrong with his subconscious, those kinds of thoughts were Not okay. He broke free from whatever spell he had been under just as the girl turned back around and continued on her way. He walked, rather quickly, in the opposite direction; Moist had to jog to keep up. Dr. Horrible's thoughts were jumbled, but one thing was clear, he had to do something about this.

The money was delivered to Bad Horse himself an hour later, the cops long lost. Moist once again stood by the door, not liking the fact that he was only a few feet from the world's worse villains. Fake Thomas Jefferson smiled at him and Moist had to put all his strength into not pressing against the wall to get a few more centimeters distance from the villain. Bad Horse whinnied, a pleased sound, and flicked his ear, motioning for Dr. Horrible to excuse himself. Moist sighed with relief when Dr. Horrible opened the door and let himself out, Moist right behind him. He didn't ask if they had another mission, Dr. Horrible would tell him if he did, plus he didn't like questions. They were silent the rest of the way home.

"Penny?" Billy called out, he was in the Laundromat, two frozen yogurts sitting on the drying machine next to him, and Penny was nowhere to be found. "Penny?" he asked as the door opened, he turned around, but saw it wasn't Penny, just some other woman out to do her laundry. He sighed and stared at the yogurts some more, waiting. "Penny?" he called out again as the door swung open, though it was only a man, who probably lived alone. He'd turn around and call Penny's name every time the door opened, but it was never her, he was staring to get worried. His heartbeat began to pick up, indicating his growing panic. The room began to dim, growing darker and darker, until he couldn't see any of the other people in the Laundromat, the only place he could see clear was the area surrounding the two machines he and Penny were to use today, including the two frozen yogurts on them and the floor underneath them. Billy's breath quickened, he jumped when a hand on his shoulder startled him. He nearly fell off the drying machine. "Whoa, what has you so worked up?" Penny's voice asked. He turned around and watched her walk over to the machine he'd reserved for her and sit up, cross-legged, on it. He smiled weakly with relief and his heartbeat and breathing began to slow. "Where have you been?" he asked. "I was worr-" he trailed off, too shy to admit he was worried about her, just like he was too shy to admit he liked her. Penny smiled, knowing what he'd been about to say. "That's sweet" she murmured. Billy laughed nervously then got comfortable and grabbed his own yogurt. "So" he said, grabbing a spoonful, "What took you so long?" he asked, before shoving the spoonful in his mouth and waiting for her answer. She smiled sadly and looked down at her feet. Billy's eyes widened, 'oh no, what if one of her family members had died? He'd just caused her to remember the whole ordeal! Oh Billy, you're so stupid! Wait… Penny didn't have any family… what if something had happened to the Caring Hands homeless shelter? What if the city was taking it back?' Billy was so wrapped up in his thoughts he nearly missed the fact that Penny had said something. "Huh?" he asked focusing on her again. Her eyes widened with sadness, 'Oh, crap, did she think he'd been ignoring her?' "What's wrong Penny?" he asked. She swallowed then spoke again. "You didn't want me to come" she repeated softly. He was taken back, how could she think that? "What? Where'd you get that idea?" he asked. Penny smiled sadly, looking almost sorry for him, and for the fact that he didn't know. 'Didn't know what?' Billy thought to himself. "You've been trying to keep me away for a couple of years now." Penny said, like a therapist breaking something to her client slowly. Billy shook his head slowly back and forth, if anything he'd been trying to get closer to her, and see her more often. Granted, most of those times he was hiding behind some disguise, or a bush, but still… one of those times he was going to walk up to her and say 'Hi'. "Penny, I would never-" he began, but quieted when she placed her hand on his. He could tell this was something she needed to get out. She looked to the side, then back at him. "Billy, you've been trying to keep me away for a couple of years now… you've been trying to forget me" she said. Billy was once more shaking him head, "No, I'd never-" he began. "But you haven't been able to… I keep coming back. But, if you really want me gone… I'll go" she said. 'What? No! He didn't want her to leave! What would he do without her? He… What... How could he survive without ever seeing her again?' "Penny" he pleads, outstretching his hand toward her as she slid off the drying machine. He jumped off his and followed her to the door. His heart was racing and his breathing was more than just uneven, he was pretty much hyperventilating. "Penny, don't do this" he begged. "It's what he wants" she said, eyes full of sorrow, "It's not your show to run anymore" she added. He stopped, not having a clue what she was talking about. "You let this happen" she explained to him gently, no trace of accusation in her voice. She turned away again, nearly out the door. 'I… did this? How?' Billy wondered. He steeled himself, it didn't matter. "If I did this, I can also undo it" he said, lacing his fingers with Penny's. She stopped, "Billy-" she cautioned.

Dr. Horrible sat up, his breathing out of control. His eyes were wide, and his heart rate was very high. It felt like he was having a panic attack. This was one of the worse cases he'd ever had, he realized as he pulse slowed and his breath got under control. The dream was already fading, so he didn't give much thought to the reason behind this. He always woke up like this in the middle of the night, just because this time it was a bit worse didn't mean anything. He lay back down and closed his eyes, having no idea this had been the first time in two years that dream Billy had stood up for himself, that he'd touched Penny, instead of Penny touching him. He slowly fell back asleep, not noticing the small crack in his numb armor that was not repaired and slowly spreading.

**(Sorry this took so long, I barely got my computer back today. Good News is, it's fixed. Bad News is, it took so long[a week] to fix, that I am now really behind on my homework. It will be a while for the next chapter... =/ )**

**(Reviews and Comments wanted and Appreciated =3 )**


	8. Chapter 8

******_*Disclaimer: I do not own Dr. Horrible's sing along blog or any of it's characters. I did, however, make up this story as I am a fan of the mini-movie*_**

**Chapter Eight**

"Now, if we could just stop glorifying him in the news" Penny tried once again to reason with the man, "Lady, we have ratings to keep up, and the people love a villain, specifically, this villain" the man replied. Penny pursed her lips, she'd worked so hard to get an appointment with his man, he was the head of NBN News, which meant he could stop all the fact that half the stories on the news were about the Doctor. She'd had such high hopes, but after twenty minutes they were still on square one….and her appointment ended in ten. "Well, could you at least try to stop glorifying him in the news? Since he's a villain, why not show all the bad stuff he's done, instead of acting like he just broke a new world record or something" Penny said. The dynamic duo was always smiling when they spoke of him… Penny looked at the man, he seemed to be getting ready to shake his head once more, to usher her out of his office. "Just one week, please, just one week with no news of the doctor villain, there are plenty of other subjects out there. Please" Penny said. She didn't say more, she had already explained about the rise in crime, and her hopes that this might help clean that up a bit, during her half hour. The man looked at her thoughtfully, then sighed, exasperated, and nodded. "Fine, but only for one week, I hope you know this is a foolish experiment, bad publicity, good publicity, no publicity, it's all the same to them" he said, rising out of her chair as she did and shaking her hand. Penny just smiled at him, not wanting to start an argument. No, it wasn't all the same; this was the first step toward putting the evil man behind bars. She turned around and walked out of the office, not missing the look of relief that crossed the man's face as he sunk back into his chair. … She was one tough cookie. 'Now' she thought, exiting the building, 'To stop his fan club.'

Stopping a fan club was harder than she'd previously thought. Penny stood outside the buildings door, unsure of what had just happen. 'They'd gone crazy, that's what happened' Penny thought. The groupies scared her, they seemed to run the entire club, and were a bit creepy, and definitely obsessed. Penny took a deep breath, steel resolve in her eyes. Well, if they wouldn't stop meeting, then she'd take away their building. They needed a pretty big building in which to meet, they wouldn't all fit in one house, and they had to have permission to be in the building. She'd just take that permission away… surely the mayor would be more understanding than the man at the news station? The mayor didn't have ratings to keep up. She gave the building one last look, she couldn't believe how big the fan club was…. Why couldn't the kids be fans of their veggies, or the people trying to make a different in the world? Instead of following around a guy who'd gladly take their wallets. Sighing, she began to head home. She wanted to call the mayor's office before it closed, to see just how soon she could get an appointment. The sooner the better, she knew he was a busy man, she'd only ask for ten or fifteen minutes of his time, surely that wasn't that much…surely…

Dr. Horrible sat through another meeting, bored; it wasn't until he was half way through the meeting that new realized something…. He was bored… He was _never_ bored… He didn't _get_ bored… he hadn't for a long time. He didn't care enough (at all) to get bored. Why was he feeling this way now? He didn't _feel_. He blinked a few times, and then looked at Fake Thomas Jefferson, who sat on the opposite side of him, on the left side of Bad Horse, and began to pay attention once more. It was just a glitch, he thought, best to ignore it, and it'll go away.

Penny stared at the phone, willing time to go by faster. The mayor was booked, she figured as much, but they wouldn't let her get an appointment.

"Go as far back as you must, I just need ten minutes of his time" she'd said.

Sorry hon, he's booked" the voice had replied.

"Yes, I understand but… if you'd just check…" she'd began.

"No, sorry hon, the mayor is very busy" the lady and responded.

"Yes, I know, but I'm sure you could squeeze in ten minutes somewhere, a month from now… two?" Penny had asked, 'Come on, it's not like the mayor is booked till infinity!' she'd thought.

"No, sorry hon, we're near closing hours, perhaps if you call tomorrow…." the lady had said. "Okay, I understand, goodbye" Penny had said, before hanging up. Now she waited by the phone, waiting for another idea to pop into her head. So far she had nothing, the few ideas she had had were of no help at all. She had down next to nothing to help her city rid itself of the evil doctor. What she had done were no more than feeble attempts, nothing that would truly make a difference. She was only one girl, and no one else seemed to care. She sighed and stood up, they wouldn't open again still 8 o' clock tomorrow morning, she couldn't just sit here. She walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge, grabbed a bottle of water, and closed the fridge once more. Her hand rested on the door's handle as she stared at her shopping list, stuck to the fridge with a magnet. _She was only one girl…. _"That's it!" she said, startling herself. She'd get signatures! She _was_ only one girl, but didn't have to be! She could get signatures and inform more people of her cause. A lot of them most likely had never thought a city without villains was possible; she'd help them see that it was. She twirled around in the kitchen a bit, she could almost imagine her optimism picking 'Mental Penny' up, dusting her off, and giving her a gentle shove in the right direction. She'd start tomorrow, after calling the mayor's office again. She'd print out a petition, one that had her cause typed up at the top, and go collect signatures bright and early.

***I am really busy with school work, sorry this story is taking so long. =/ ***


	9. Chapter 9

**********_*Disclaimer: I do not own Dr. Horrible's sing along blog or any of it's characters. I did, however, make up this story as I am a fan of the mini-movie*_**

**Chapter Nine**

Bright and early. That's when Penny got up, making flyers, and a pretty petition, which read "Ban Dr. Horrible, Ban Bad Horse". The flyers were fairly simple as well, they just asked people to not watch news on Dr. Horrible, not buy newspapers with the guy on the front pages, and to steer clear of the fan club. It asked for the city's help to catch the criminals. If you took out the most popular villain, the most evil might follow. She made the petition several pages long, printed out the flyers, looked at the clock, then called the Mayor's office again.

Okay, so she hadn't been able to even get fifteen minutes with the Mayor….but that was okay. It was…. Penny stood outside the Mayor's office, she hand out flyers to anyone who came near the building. Most looked at it, then threw it away, some didn't even look. Penny's lips pressed together in a thin line. She forced a smile, she couldn't give up, her city was at stake! She took a deep breath and, smiling, handed a woman another flyer trying to explain her cause in the 3-4 seconds it took the woman to get past the building. This wasn't working, she had no signatures and no one was even listening to her. She had to think of a better way, and fast.

Penny pressed her lips together in a thin line, she was getting nowhere. No one was listening, no one was signing, and no one was even looking at her flyer…. Eyes downcast, she began to sing softly, trying to pick up her own spirits, as well as out of boredom. She swayed slightly as she sang, the same melody as when she'd been trying to get the petition for the building to be donated, or when she had been trying to pick up…. Someone's spirits in the Laundromat, she just used different words. She kept handing out the flyers, her song focusing on her cause. She hardly noticed that a man and his little girl were standing a foot away, listening, nor did she notice when the woman and her two friends stopped to look at her. She only snapped out of it when a woman in her early forties walked up to and asked for a flyer, that's when she looked up, that's when she noticed she had a crowd of ten people listening to her sing. Four of those ten had a flyer in their hand. A small smile pulled at the corners of Penny's lips. Maybe one person _could _make a difference…

"And I'm here in front of the mayor's office where a young woman is handing out flyers, _and singing_, yes you heard me correctly folks, _singing_ about Dr. Horrible's rise in popularity, and the rise in crime. She has a petition to revoke the Dr. Horrible Fan Club's meeting house, a large building which belongs to the city. Tell me, what do you hope to gain out of this?" the anchorwoman said, shoving the microphone right in Penny's face. She blinked nervously, and returned the woman's smile. "I just hope to get rid of the fan club, it's not right when the guy who takes your wallet has groupies" Penny said, ducking her face. She wasn't used to all this attention. "And how many signatures do you have so far?" she asked. "Um, I'm up to 25, which is pretty good for one day" Penny said, still smiling nervously. "There you have it folks, if you're tired of having Dr. Horrible's face plastered on the front cover, come on down to the mayor's office to sign your name!" the woman said. She then, out of good will, and most likely to look good on camera, signed her name down as well. Penny gave her another smile and waved as she left. Her shouldered drooped with relief as the camera turned away from her, and was then turned off.

"One hundred and two signatures, in two hours!" Fake Thomas Jefferson's voice boomed. All the villains seated around the long table averted their eyes, all except Dr. Horrible of course, he just looked bored, as he always did, not the least bit interested. "Well, 102 signatures is not that much" one of the other members of the ELE said, a bit meekly as Bad Horse had trained his cold stare on him. "That's only in one day, think of how many more signatures could be obtained in day two!" Fake Thomas Jefferson practically growled. "I hardly think it matters" said Dead Bowie. "This young girl is of no threat to us, she was singing outside the mayor's office! She's a small, light thing, barely a nuisance, nowhere near enough to be called a threat" he finished, leaning back on his chair. Fake Thomas Jefferson fixed him with a glare, "You don't think she's a threat?" he said, slowly and softly. Dead Bowie lost a bit of his confidence. "This girl is trying to get us out of the press; she's trying to turn the city against us. Right now they are comfortable believing this is how things work, that we are untouchable, that it is natural for us to have our run of the city. But what happens if this girl convinces them differently? That we are no different than common jewel thieves and bank robbers, and shoplifters? What if she convinces the LAPD we can be arrested like all others, we are simply muggers with nice toys? The law leaves us alone, because they think we are above them, they believe we can't be touched, but other cities have no ELE, they have no villains, the Police Department is in control. How much of a nudge do you think this girl has to give them before they realize they too can take back the control? We'll be hunted like common pickpockets, jailed as if we're nothing but criminals. Our way of life is at stake here, all because of A. Singing. Girl" he finished, his voice growing harder towards the end. All the members of the League looked away, Bad Horse seemed pleased. Dr. Horrible looked from face to face, not really caring about anything that was being said.

Fake Thomas Jefferson looked at Dr. Horrible. "And you? What do you look so uninterested about? This is your reputation on the line, she's going after you directly" he said. Dr. Horrible shrugged, "Let her, then maybe you'll get a chance at the spot light, for once" he said. Someone snickered, Dr. Horrible thought he recognized Tie-Die's incredibly un-evil laugh. Fake Thomas Jefferson's eyes narrowed, "Just remember not to take us with you, when you go down" he said, leaning forward to stare Dr. Horrible, their faces half a foot apart. It seemed more like a threat, a warning to Dr. Horrible to watch his back. It wasn't unthinkable; it was obvious Fake Thomas Jefferson believed he should be Bad Horse's right hoof man. Dr. Horrible didn't flinch, he just stared right back, his eyes narrowing slightly. "I'll do my best" he said, voice low. Fake Thomas Jefferson looked away first.

"A hit on a girl" Dr. Horrible said, sitting in his chair. "A girl as in, under 18, Dr. Horrible?" Moist asked when Dr. Horrible fell silent. "How should I know, the way they talked about her, she must not be much. I believe she is so small, she is such a tiny thing, that she looks like a girl" he said. "And they want her, dead?" Moist asked. "They haven't assigned anyone yet, but yes" Dr. Horrible said, leaning back on his chair casually. "We're waiting for the call, Bad Horse has to decide who'd be best at handling this 'delicate' situation, wouldn't want the city to get more keyed up than it already is."

Penny, with renewed energy and faith in her city, printed out more copies of the flyers, and more pages for the petition. She would post the flyers up all over town, and return to the mayor's office tomorrow to collect more signatures. Maybe if she got enough she'd be able to convince the mayor to not only take the building back from the disturbing groupies, but also keep the villains off the press for a while. She sighed, and she had to go to the Laundromat tomorrow, it was Wednesday. She'd have to be all the quicker tomorrow, she wouldn't want the Laundromat to close.

Penny ran out of flyers. Everyone took one, and they actually seemed to be reading it! She got plenty more to sign her petition, and a few even asked her questions about her plan, and why she thought Dr. Horrible was so bad, besides that fact that his name was 'horrible'. She almost didn't want to leave when her watch told her it was time to go. She still had to make it to the Laundromat. She had planned to put up the flyers on her way home, but since she'd run out, she'd have to print more and put them up on her way to the Laundromat.

Dr. Horrible looked at his laundry; it was a pretty big pile, larger than usual. He wondered if Moist had forgot some of his laundry on Saturday… that would explain the larger load. He sighed with irritation; he needed a better henchman…. Well, he'd already gone once; he saw no harm in going again today. He'd have to have a talk with Moist afterwards, the soggy, sorry excuse for a henchman needed a reminder of Dr. Horrible's expectations. Mind made up, Dr. Horrible pushed off his chair and gathered his laundry. He was heading for the door just as Moist entered, just in time. "We'll talk later" was all Dr. Horrible said, before elbowing his way past his henchman and walking out the door. Moist stumbled a bit, and looked out the door, wondering what he'd done now.

It took Penny a long time to get to the Laundromat; she put up flyers on both sides of the street, and even went out of her way to put them up in busier streets, where more people were likely to see them. She'd just added a small line, asking for more signatures for her petition. But she did eventually, after stopping for frozen yogurt, make it to the Laundromat, it was pretty full. No one looked up as Penny walked in. she quickly made her way to an unclaimed washing machine and set her clothes down. After her clothes were in the washer and the machine had been turned on, Penny took out her two frozen yogurts, still confused over why she felt compelled to buy two, sat on top on the washing machine, and began to eat one.

The women in the machine next to hers took her clothes out of the washer and took them to an unclaimed drying machine, leaving an empty space between her and the man on the next machine over. He looked up as the women left, it seemed almost instinctual, as if he were on alert and checking to see what had made the sudden sound. His blue eyes flashed to Penny's face momentarily, regarding her coldly, then slid down to the yogurt in her hands, then to the uneaten one resting on the washer, then finally back to his own machine. He just stared at it, looking like he was just going to stand motionless in front of it until it stopped. Penny cleared her throat; he looked up, again seemingly only to inspect what had caused the sudden sound. She spoke before he could look away again. "Um, hi" she said, quickly going on as his uninterested gaze threated to dismiss her. "I happen to have two yogurts, and….I'm only going to eat one so… Would you like the other one?" she said, trying to be nice to the young man, she didn't understand why he looked so miserable….almost emotionless. The young man's lip curled up, ever so slightly, as if Penny were an idiot for asking him that, and for buying to yogurts in the first place. "You see, my friend was supposed to meet me here but… I don't think he's coming" she said, offering him a slight smile. She pushed the yogurt over to him, "It's really good" she added, though the look the man was giving obviously meant to make her shut up. The blond man reluctantly took the cup, most likely just to get the girl to shut her mouth already, and took a spoonful.

"It's good, isn't it?" Penny asked after a while, the silence feeling slightly uncomfortable. The young man looked at her, his eyes seemed to say 'The deal was, I take the yogurt, you stop talking to me.' For a moment, his blue eyes seemed like icy daggers, Penny was sure she must have imagined it. She gave him a slight smile, unsure of what she was doing wrong, and what she had done to irritate the young man so much. "… I'm Penny, by the way" she said, after another moment of silence. She extended her hand. He closed his eyes slowly and sighed, as if admitting defeat. Very slowly, he reached out with his own hand to grasp hers. "And I'm…. Billy" he said, after a pause, hesitation more like it. Penny smiled again, the sight of it enough to melt hearts. "Billy… Nice to meet you" she said.

***Sorry this took so long! =( I had the worst case of writer's block, I had no idea how to word this chapter At All, or how far to take it... I don't think my writer's block is truly gone, but I kept you waiting more than long enough, soooo Here's chapter Nine! =) ***


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